Autumn has arrived and there's plenty to do in the garden to make it ready for winter and in preparation for next spring.
Get down dirty and on top of the pruning.Piles of crunchy leaves and drying seedheads make autumn sensational. It's also time to have a tidy up. Be cautious with pruning evergreens or deciduous specimens after the middle of October. Cutting them now could spur them into new growth which could be susceptible to frosts. However do keep on deadheading roses, some varieties will still give you fabulous blooms until winter. And clear the ground of any decaying plant and leaf material. This will discourage pests and disturb weed seedlings. It also makes luscious compost. Ignore this tidy advice in areas set aside for wildlife. Protect your clothes, hands and eyes from thorns and whipping twigs. Dig over cleared ground to prepare for planting new trees and shrubs later this year or early next year. Do keep off the bare earth if it's been wet or you could damage the soil structure and compact it, especially if you're on clay (use a board to spread your weight).
Dahlias and cannasLeave your dahlias in situ till the first frosts have blackened their foliage. Then you have a choice:
Either lift and dry them off before storing them in a frost free shed, or if you are feeling confident, cut off the dead foliage and then mulch them deeply with bracken, compost etc at least 3'' deep.
We will be doing both again this year, leaving some in place under a mulch and storing the rest - belt and braces! Although this year's best doers were the in situ dahlias. That surprised me as it was such a hard winter, but we did lose a few.
SeedsFor wonderful FREE plants next year collect the seeds of hardy annuals now as well as allowing some of them to self-sow.
Flowers may not come true from seed gathered now but it's FREE and full of lovely surprises. Collect cosmos, nasturtiums, nigella and delphiniums. Last year I collected enough dahlia seeds for a dozen gardens and some of them produced beautiful single-flowered plants this year. Ideal for late summer bedding if not the show bench.
There is just time to sow some crunchy delicious fresh salad crops to over-winter especially if you are prepared to offer them some protection in the coldest weather. We also gathered seeds from heritage varieties of tomatoes and squash, Turks Turban is a favourite. We grew a variety of tomato called 'Auntie Madge' this year and she proved to be a prolific and tasty winner; thin skinned, disease resistant, small, plum shaped.
If like us you have a glut of tomatoes this year why not use them with PESTO - we grew lots of basil from our culinary herb collection. Pesto is great for adding flavour to all kinds of ragu and you can just stir it through plain pasta for a quick and simple lunch.
Sue's 'Hey Pesto' RecipeGather as much basil as you can (at least a big handful).
Rip the leaves - do it by hand and release that fantastic smell.
Add to them pine nuts, olive oil, and garlic to taste. This recipe is infinitely adjustable and forgiving. If you don't like pine nuts or they are not available, leave 'em out.
Place the basil in a pestle and mortar or food processor and add other ingredients slowly. Blend to a thickish paste. Keep on tasting, you can add lemon juice or salt if you wish. This will keep for several days in the fridge or you can freeze it in ice cube trays and add directly to sauces.
More recipes for you to enjoy.
Cuttings and PropagationMore lovely FREE plants. Bring in tender plants lie pelargoniums (indoor geraniums) and take cuttings of them and other specimens like box. Put them in a propagator and watch them like a hawk keep them on the dry-ish side and discard any that appear to be growing a fur coat - they probably have botrytis and won't make it. If your cuttings are looking turgid and putting on a bit of growth- congratulations! But do resist the urge to 'check' them or fiddle with them too much in case you damage their delicate new roots.
John's- Almost Fool Proof Cuttings GuideReady prepared pots (3-5") of sharply draining compost (50/50 general purpose compost and sharp sand, or grit, or pearlite, watered and drained.
Cutting surface (he usually uses the bread board)
This works like magic for masses of shrubs. Assemble your cutting material. If you've pruned shrubs then check the prunings for likely candidates. Choose un-flowered side shoots, or the tips of subjects that have grown tall enough for their position, preferably that have made some good growth. Cut them just below a leaf joint about 50-100mm long (depending on the habit of the plant), gently stripping off the lower leaves till the upper three or four remain and insert them gently into the prepared medium using a dibber. Place in a propagator (or simply in a clear polythene bag on a windowsill) and be patient till you see new top growth (4-8 weeks), then wait a little longer before you pot them on so as allow the new root growth to fill out.
Shrubs, roses, conifers.As above but this time remove the whole side shoot with a 'heel' (sliver of the old wood). Do this simply by using a gentle tearing action. Insert into potting medium or into the soil of a cold frame.
By John-Derry